"Of what are you dreaming?" Ayan asked Azela, his voice soft and curious.

Azela's eyes fluttered as she emerged from her reverie. "Hmm? Oh, um, nothing important, I think," she answered, but the truth was that she forgot it as soon as Ayan startled her back to reality. It was something about the scarred girl she had dreamt of while underwater, but this time she saw herself through the stranger's eyes, which were looking at her through the eyes of a bat. As she looked down at the jagged forest-covered landscape speeding below, even that much of the absurd dream was forgotten. All that they passed over were mountains, each like an island in a sea of clouds. What seemed to be overgrown ruins of villages and roads spread across some of them. The fog between was dark and thick, and it clung to the surface as if it were too heavy to reach higher. Every so often there would be a lightning flash from within.

Ayan had glided far from the shore where Azela was found, holding her securely in his arms. The view above and below as they sailed across the clear night sky was amazing, but vertigo caused her to look away after a few minutes. The journey was silent since Azela didn't make any more attempts to speak along the way. Whatever had taken her memories seemed to also make pronunciation annoyingly difficult. After a time, the surreal feeling of flying settled down, and she began to feel detached from the world around her. Even though Ayan was so close, she felt empty and alone.

The forest gave way to a darkened village. Had Azela looked, she would have seen several mycelium-brick huts scattered around massive towers. The huts were decades old at most, but the towers were crumbled with centuries of decay.

When they landed, Ayan set her down carefully and opened the door of a wooden building. Slowly, she stood up and took a careful step inside. Her second step failed and she stumbled, frantically trying to keep her balance until finally falling into a cold, metallic embrace. Raising her gaze, she saw the dark knight she had encountered on the beach, or someone else wearing the same armor. Up close, she could see that his helmet completely covered his head, the front of which was shaped into a stylized demonic face. There seemed to be no openings at all, not even for his eyes.

She settled onto a stool, her fingers tracing the strange texture of the fungus-grown furniture. "Thank you," she quietly said after a short silence. The knight crossed his arms and said nothing. "Wh... what's your name?" she dared to ask, but received no response.

"I'll be back soon, little one. I have to wake someone who hates being woken," Ayan said from the doorway, then cast a glare at the dark-armored man and leapt from sight.

The door closed silently on its own.

Time slowed in Ayan's absence. For the armored man, it didn't seem to exist. Whether one minute passed or ten, whenever she looked in his direction he was the same. If in the corner of her eye, she could swear he was a shadow on the wall, if she looked away completely, she soon turned around to be sure he hadn't left. No matter how hard a person tries to ignore someone, they can still sense them nearby. Whatever caused that sensation was blind to this man.

Azela tried to look straight at him, and found her eyes had to work harder than normal to focus on him and not the wall behind.

After a while Azela looked up to discover that strange glass tubes were the source of the room's disturbing yellowish light. Meditating on this for a few seconds, the concept of light bulbs and electricity rose from the inky void of her memories. She swayed on her stool and turned her attention to the bottles lined up on the shelves behind the counter. At first she couldn't read the labels, but their symbols gradually yielded to her scrutiny, transforming from gibberish into coherent words—an act that felt more akin to deciphering than recollection. Adjacent to the bottles, wooden boxes adorned with vibrant green lizards piqued her curiosity.

"What are those?" she asked, but her voice was met with stony silence.

As the minutes stretched on, she tried to pass the time by counting toothpicks in the dispenser and trying to remember everything she could. Numbers weren’t an issue, and names of shapes and colors flowed effortlessly into her consciousness, though the hues surrounding her seemed unusually vivid.

Bored, she turned back to the dark man. "Can you talk?"

She waited a few seconds, and then said, "I'm called Azela now, apparently."

The room fell completely silent for a few more seconds. This was going nowhere. It was time to try something different. In a soft, melancholic tone, she confided, "It’s gone now. Everything I was. Everyone I’ve ever known. All of my most cherished moments. My promises. My hopes. My regrets. My childhood. All of it. I can’t remember anything at all.” She looked away. “I don't know why you dislike me, but whatever it is, it’s gone, along with the rest of me." Azela began to weep, then wiped a tear from her face and stared at it with a terrified expression. "My... my eyes are leaking? There must be something wrong with me... I... I can't see! Everything's getting blurry!"

The touch of a cold gauntlet on her shoulder startled her. The knight had walked up to Azela without her noticing. "They're tears," he said, "It's natural. You're fine."

"I know," Azela said with a sly grin. "So you can talk. What's your name?" As he turned away, she grabbed his arm to stop him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Only his head turned back. "Release me. Now." His voice was threatening.

"I'm sorry," she said, flinching as she let go. Why was he so cold to her? All she wanted was to understand what was going on, or at least talk about something. Anything was better than what she felt in this empty silence.

The man returned to his previous position, crossed his arms and resumed his watch over her. Azela was hugging her knees, silently staring at nothing. Reluctantly, the man said, "I'm called Four. It's the number I've been given, but I prefer to be called Shi-Yon. What would you prefer to be called?"

After a moment of thought, she replied, "My number was... seven? Did I really not have a name before? I guess Azela is fine. I can't remember anything from before you found me."

Shi-Yon muttered something under his breath in a language Azela didn’t know, then said, "Don't worry, numbers don't particularly matter. We’re aware of your current situation; that's why we're here. When MegaGlitch arrives, we'll explain everything. The past is done. You should look toward the future. It's..." Shi-Yon suddenly became silent again. "Someone is coming. Don't let them know that I spoke to you."

"Okay," Azela whispered.

As the front door swung open with a bang, a humanoid being strode into the room. His black body was made up of mechanical components, a mess of metal, wires, and integrated circuits all seemingly placed at random across his body. It appeared as if he could fall apart at any moment. His face was menacing, with a lipless mechanical mouth lined with long, sharp metal teeth. Behind him walked Ayan, whom Azela thought looked just as frightening.

The three that stood around Azela were a good match: Shi-Yon with his demonic helm, Ayan with his panther-like head, and the newcomer with his terrifying mechanical face.

"Greetings, child," the mechanized being said. His voice was a dry hiss that made her think of a reptile with a sore throat, and his mouth never moved as he spoke. "I am MegaGlitch, the one that has kept you alive for the last two years.”

Azela had no idea what he meant. “Two years?”

He explained, “You were brought to us a long time ago, unconscious. Ayan commanded that we keep you alive despite evidence that you would have likely never awoken.”

“So how did I end up out in the ocean, then? That’s an inconsiderate way to wake someone,” she said.

“You were stolen from us,” he explained, “In that time, away from the machines that provided life support, you should have perished.”

Azela thought of the red-robed woman and felt a tingle of remaining fear. “Why do that to me?” she asked.

“We are left with several questions,” MegaGlitch said. “With your permission, I would like to examine you. I give you my assurance that I am not only the most advanced cyborg in the Forsaken Mountains, but also an excellent medical practitioner. Your amnesia is only one of many medical concerns."

The mention of examination sent a wave of unease from the pit of her stomach. She glanced at Shi-Yon as if hoping for another rescue, but he was as impassive as ever. Ayan however, was moving slightly with signs of impatience. There really wasn’t much of a choice in this situation. No matter how intimidated she was by these people, she was lost without them. "I guess it would be okay," she made herself say, although it came out quieter and more reluctant than she had wanted.

She waited for instructions, but he gave none. As he looked up and down her body, his goggle-covered eyes changed color constantly. She felt uneasy being under his gaze, and the thought of jumping up and running out the door—away from these things that acted friendly but looked like nightmares—kept returning.

"Done," he said.

"Done?"

"Yes, I am finished."

The examination was over. No poking or probing, no drawing of blood. Just a minute of being stared at. Silence took over again, but now at least there was the sound of wind as well. A breeze whistled through the drafty tavern.

MegaGlitch and Ayan stared at each other, seemingly oblivious to everything but themselves. It didn't take Azela long to grow bored of watching them and to sneak over to Shi-Yon's side. She didn't know why she was afraid of Ayan seeing her standing close to him, but found herself constantly looking back to make sure his eyes stayed on MegaGlitch. To her relief, the silent hosts didn't seem to notice and kept shooting glances between each other.

"What are they doing?" Azela queried Shi-Yon in a hushed tone.

"They're engaged in mental conversation, sending thoughts like speech," he explained just as quietly.

"About what?" she pressed.

"Their thoughts aren’t shared with me," he whispered back.

"They must not want me to hear either," Azela commented, inadvertently vocalizing her suspicion.

As if sensing her unease, Ayan and MegaGlitch looked to where Azela used to be and noticed she had moved. Ayan turned and glared at Shi-Yon accusingly.

What Shi-Yon said moments before about speaking with him came back to her. Immediately she stepped away and turned her back to him, saying, "Fine then, don't talk to me. It's not like I wanted your opinion, anyway. Does this thing even have a mouth?"

To Azela, MegaGlitch said, "Please do not take offense to the fourth one's silence. He prefers to keep to himself. And as for your condition..." He raised a hand to his chin. "You have my sympathies, but we know of only one way to restore your memory, and that path is too dangerous. Perhaps it will repair itself in time, but this is not likely. Despite that, the damage is surprisingly minimal. My scan shows no evidence that your brain will experience trouble forming new memories. It appears that your abduction did actually lead to your body’s death, briefly. Until a proper investigation is completed, Ayan believes that the circumstances surrounding your abduction must remain confidential, even from you, unfortunately.”

Azela interrupted, “So I was dead? I was literally killed? And now I’ve lost my entire identity and don’t get to know why?”

"You will learn in due time," Ayan asserted, implying there would be no further discussion. "My suspicions about your origins require delicate handling. We'll address them when you're relaxed, healed, and comfortable."

MegaGlitch continued, “We have agreed to assign the fourth apostle to guide you through this challenging time. He will take care of where you will stay and anything else you need. Farewell, and good night." Anxiously, he turned and walked out the door.

"You are free to do as you please, within reason," Ayan said, then turned to stare a silent warning at Shi-Yon before following the cyborg. That left Azela alone with the black knight.

The door, which had been quiet before MegaGlitch came in, closed with a whine.